An Interview With Simon Clark
Simon Clark is known for his horrific and often thought provoking novels such as Night of the Triffids, Vampyrrhic and Gone For a Burton as well as countless short stories. You can find his offerings at any place that sells books.
JG:Return of the Blood-Feeders was unique take on the vampire mythos (for those that haven’t read any of your Vampyrrhic work). Did you write this piece specifically for this collection? Why do a vampire collection? How did you, Gord and Kevin end up in a collection together? Would you do it again?
SC: Thank you. When I wrote Vampyrrhic, and the sequel and spinoff novels, I wanted to turn my vampires into dangerous monsters that were as predatory and as violent as hungry sharks. Kevin approached me with an invitation to join him and Gord in a collection. I don’t know where the initial idea came from to team us up together but whoever originated the idea it was a great one. I thought about the kind of vampire novella I should write and quickly realized that I should return to the Vampyrrhic mythos, which led me to delivering Return of the the Blood-Feeders. If there is an opportunity to team up with Kevin and Gord again, well count me in! I really have enjoyed the process.
JG:You have so many great novels out there! Do you have a favorite? Why? Do you have a favorite subject you prefer to write about? What got you into writing? I know a lot of authors have been writing since a young age. What would you be doing if you weren’t an author? Honestly I think I would be either in archaeology or marine biology.
SC: That’s a lovely thing to say about my novels. Cheers. It’s hard to pick a favourite novel. I’m proud of them all. If I had to pick one, it would be Blood Crazy. That has had such amazing feedback from readers and now, to my astonishment and delight, appears to be gaining a cult status. A favourite subject for me is the stuff of horror – anything that scares us. That’s fairly broad, of course; however, I’ve written supernatural horror, such as Darkness Demands and Sci-Fi with strong horror elements, such as the The Night of the Triffids. Since being a very young child I’ve had vivid imagination and would tell stories as soon as I could talk. Writing them down became a natural progression of that. Creating stories must be in my DNA. It’s something I just have to do. Your interest in archaeology strikes a chord with me. If I wasn’t a writer, I would have been drawn to something connected with history. Possibly a documentary maker of mysterious historical events? That certainly appeals to me. There is an entire world of mystery just inches beneath our feet.
JG: What is your proudest moment with your writing? Mine is always getting to talk with authors that I admire and learning more about the craft of writing. What is one thing everyone should read at least once (yours or someone else’s)? And of course, the all important what have you got coming out next?
SC: My goodness! It’s hard to pick just ONE proudest moment in my career. There are lots! Like you, it’s great to talk with authors, and go to conventions and hear writers on panels discuss the craft of writing. Other proud moments: selling my first story (and realizing that someone believed in me as a writer); one of my favourite TV shows from my teens was a pandemic thriller called Survivors; years later, I got to work with some of the show’s original actors in a sound studio for an audio drama reboot of Survivors, which was produced by Big Finish – it was a dream come true to have lunch with the actors and hear their amazing stories. The book everyone should read at least once? My all-time favourite is Stephen King’s The Shining. The novel is incredible – it has its own aura of dark magic. And what have I got coming out next? I’ve begun writing a series of novels based on one of my most successful novels, Blood Crazy. Blood Crazy 3: Aten Present was published recently by Darkness Visible Publishing. And coming next is something I am very excited about, and a change of direction for me. I have co-scripted, with Brian Avenet-Bradley, a Sci-Fi /Horror movie calledProtos. It was screened at the Cannes Film Festival this year. More news about its general release should be available soon. Thank you for asking me to chat about my work on HorrorTree.com I really do appreciate it.
JG: I really appreciate you taking the time to chat!
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Jennifer Griffin is a freelance writer in northern Michigan where she lives with her husband, three pups and year round Halloween decorations
